Besides kaya pao, Tau Sa Pao (red bean pao) is another kids’ favorite. Homemade red bean paste is used to make this pao. The secret to have a soft and smooth red bean paste is to soak the red bean overnight before cooking and don’t cook the paste until too dry.
Check out other popular pao recipes from us: Pao recipes collection
CHINESE VERSION: 红豆沙包
Tau Sa Pao/Red Bean Pao (Red Bean Chinese Steamed Bun) | MyKitchen101en
Yields: 8 paos
Ingredients for Tau Sa Pao:
For red bean paste: (Yields: about 350 g)
- 100 g red bean (soak overnight, keep refrigerated)
- 400 g water
- ⅛ tsp fine salt
- 120 g fine sugar
- 5 g glutinous rice flour + 1 tbsp water
- 20 g corn oil (or other vegetable oil)
For pao dough:
- 210 g pao flour
- 90 g wheat starch
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 65 g fine sugar
- 135 g plain water (+ 1 to 2 tsps, if needed)
- 20 g corn oil (or other vegetable oil)
For red bean paste:
1 Drain the soaked red bean. Add in 400 g of water, bring to the boil, reduce to low heat, cover and cook for 2 hours until very soft. (Reminder: It is important to soak the red bean overnight, without soaking it is difficult for it to be cooked until very soft. Add in more water if the water has dried up before the cooking is done.)
2 Blend the cooked red bean until very fine when it has slightly cooled down. Sift the red bean paste. Add in salt, sugar, slaked glutinous rice flour and oil, mix well.
3 Cook over medium heat for 8-9 minutes until the liquid starts to dry up. Reduce to medium-low heat, cook for another 3-4 minutes until you have a smooth paste. Cover the paste with a plate to prevent it from drying, set aside until slightly cooled. (Reminder: For making pao, don’t cook the paste until too dry.)
4 Divide the red bean paste into 8 portions, each about 40 g.
For pao dough:
1 Combine pao flour, wheat starch, sugar and instant yeast, mix well. Add in water gradually, mix into a dough. If the dough is drier, add in more water, ½ tsp at a time, until it reaches the consistency as shown in the video (all flour just comes together to form a dough, it is not sticky). Add in oil, knead until combined.
2 Use stand mixer with hook attachment, knead over “speed 2” for 5 minutes, until a smooth dough is formed. (Reminder: Knead for 6-7 minutes if do it manually, lightly coat palm with flour whenever the dough is sticky.)
3 Shape dough into a ball, wrap with cling wrap, set aside to rest for 6-7 minutes.
4 Roll out the rested dough into thin rectangular shape dough, then roll up into a rod shape. Divide into 8 portions, each about 65 g. Shape into balls (cover with cling wrap to prevent from drying).
Making Red Bean Pao:
(Reminder: Divide dough into 2 batches, 4 doughs for each batch, prepare 1 batch at a time.)
1 Coat dough with flour, roll out into round shape with thick centre and thin sides. Turn the flatten dough over, top with 1 portion of red bean paste, then wrap filling with dough, then put onto a piece of paper. (Reminder: You should work fast when making pao to avoid the pao dough from over-proofing. Over-proofed pao will have wrinkle surface when steamed.)
2 Bring 500 ml of water to the boil in steamer, off the heat, then add in 1 Litre of plain water.
3 Arrange pao on steamer racks, put steamer racks over the warm water, cover and proof for 20 minutes. (Reminder: Using bamboo steamer to steam will prevent condensation water from dripping onto pao.)
4 After proofing for 20 minutes, turn to high heat until water is boiling (about 3 minutes), then reduce to medium heat and steam for another 15 minutes.
Tau Sa Pao/Red Bean Pao (Red Bean Chinese Steamed Bun)
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Ingredients
For red bean paste: (Yields: about 350 g)
- 100 g red bean soak overnight, keep refrigerated
- 400 g water
- ⅛ tsp fine salt
- 120 g fine sugar
- 5 g glutinous rice flour +1 tbsp water
- 20 g corn oil or other vegetable oil
For pao dough:
- 210 g pao flour
- 90 g wheat starch
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 65 g fine sugar
- 135 g plain water + 1 to 2 tsp, if needed
- 20 g corn oil or other vegetable oil
Instructions
For red bean paste:
- Drain the soaked red bean. Add in 400 g of water, bring to the boil, reduce to low heat, cover and cook for 2 hours until very soft. (Reminder: It is important to soak the red bean overnight, without soaking it is difficult for it to be cooked until very soft. Add in more water if the water has dried up before the cooking is done.)
- Blend the cooked red bean until very fine when it has slightly cooled down. Sift the red bean paste. Add in salt, sugar, slaked glutinous rice flour and oil, mix well.
- Cook over medium heat for 8-9 minutes until the liquid starts to dry up. Reduce to medium-low heat, cook for another 3-4 minutes until you have a smooth paste. Cover the paste with a plate to prevent it from drying, set aside until slightly cooled. (Reminder: For making pao, don’t cook the paste until too dry.)
- Divide the red bean paste into 8 portions, each about 40 g.
For pao dough:
- Combine pao flour, wheat starch, sugar and instant yeast, mix well. Add in water gradually, mix into a dough. If the dough is drier, add in more water, ½ tsp at a time, until it reaches the consistency as shown in the video (all flour just comes together to form a dough, it is not sticky). Add in oil, knead until combined.
- Use stand mixer with hook attachment, knead over “speed 2” for 5 minutes, until a smooth dough is formed. (Reminder: Knead for 6-7 minutes if do it manually, lightly coat palm with flour whenever the dough is sticky.)
- Shape dough into a ball, wrap with cling wrap, set aside to rest for 6-7 minutes.
- Roll out the rested dough into thin rectangular shape dough, then roll up into a rod shape. Divide into 8 portions, each about 65 g. Shape into balls (cover with cling wrap to prevent from drying).
Making red bean pao: (Reminder: Divide dough into 2 batches, 4 doughs for each batch, prepare 1 batch at a time.)
- Coat dough with flour, roll out into round shape with thick centre and thin sides. Turn the flatten dough over, top with 1 portion of red bean paste, then wrap filling with dough, then put onto a piece of paper. (Reminder: You should work fast when making pao to avoid the pao dough from over-proofing. Over-proofed pao will have wrinkle surface when steamed.)
- Bring 500 ml of water to the boil in steamer, off the heat, then add in 1 Litre of plain water.
- Arrange pao on steamer racks, put steamer racks over the warm water, cover and proof for 20 minutes. (Reminder: Using bamboo steamer to steam will prevent condensation water from dripping onto pao.)
- After proofing for 20 minutes, turn to high heat until water is boiling (about 3 minutes), then reduce to medium heat and steam for another 15 minutes.
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Nutrition (per serving)
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What’s the pao flour? Is it like normal all purpose flour or high gluten flour?
Pao flour is flour formulated for making pao. You may use all purpose flour, just adjust the water added, but the pao will be yellowish in colour if you use all purpose flour.
Fave pau.
Look very yummy thanks for sharing
all your recipes are very good….i would want to try these recipes.